Journalists from across the UK will descend on Manchester on November 5 to urge their bosses to stand up to greedy media owners.
The National Union of Journalists is organising a lobby of the Society of Editors conference at the swanky Radisson Hotel on Peter Street.
Union president Michelle Stanistreet, who works for the Sunday Express, said: “The media is owned by a smaller and smaller group of extremely wealthy
corporations.
“They make big profits but they want more. So journalists face a constant round of job cuts and dwindling editorial budgets. This means that more and more news is just recycled press releases.
“We want our editors to join with us and stand up to the culture of cuts. If they believe that journalism is important for democracy and for local communities
they must take a stand.
“They are meeting on a site that was developed to commemorate the Peterloo massacre. We hope they will take courage from history and seize the moment. ”
The Manchester event is one of the focul points of Stand Up For Journalism Day which will involve events all over Europe.
There will be lobbies at the European Parliament, French National Assembly, and in towns and cities across the UK.
In Manchester journalists and their supporters will gather outside the offices of the Manchester Evening News on Hardman Street, off Deansgate at 12.30pm on
November 5.
They will march to the Radisson Hotel, on the site of the old Free Trade Hall, to lobby the editors’ conference. There will be a rally in defence of journalism at 1.30pm in the Friends Meeting House on Mount Street.
Michelle Stanistreet and NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear will be among the speakers. For further information visit www.standupforjournalism.org.uk